fb-pixelPeople seeking symbolism keep pointing out that it drizzled at Trump’s inauguration but the sun came out during Biden’s - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

People seeking symbolism keep pointing out that it drizzled at Trump’s inauguration but the sun came out during Biden’s

“There is some poetry in that.”

President Joe Biden spoke during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.Patrick Semansky/pool

Those seeking a bit of symbolism in the transition of power from Donald Trump to President Joe Biden looked to the skies on Wednesday.

After some flurries at the start of the Inauguration ceremonies, the sun suddenly appeared before Biden delivered a speech about unifying the nation under his administration.

As the light broke through, some people on social media pointed out that the moment was in sharp contrast to the day Trump became president in 2017, when a slight drizzle fell as he delivered his address.

“Four years ago I sat in the crowd at the Inauguration and wrote in my notes that it began to rain the moment Trump began his speech,” Wall Street Journal reporter Dustin Volz tweeted. “This morning it was flurrying in Washington. The sun emerged moments before Biden took the oath of office.”

Advertisement



According to a Time magazine story from the day Trump became president, “rain began to fall the moment Donald Trump started giving his first speech as President of the United States.”

“Supporters of the new commander-in-chief took Mother Nature’s timing as a sign of cleansing,” the article read, “while his opponents perceived it as the sky joining them in mourning the transition of power.”

In a sign of things to come, the weather during Trump’s inaugural address became a subject of discussion in the days after he was sworn in. According to NPR, Trump “falsely claimed it stopped raining and the sun came out just as he started speaking,” however, “rain continued and the day remained overcast and cloudy.”

Pictures and video from that day showed people wearing rain coats and holding up umbrellas as Trump stood at the lectern. The National Weather Service recorded the weather as “Cloudy. Sprinkles at swearing in ceremony; light rain at start of parade.”

Advertisement



But on Wednesday, those who were excited to see the Trump presidency come to an end saw the sun’s timely arrival as sure sign of a new beginning.

“The sun is shining brightly down on Joe Biden during his Inauguration. And there was nothing but clouds and rain during Trumps,” one person wrote. “There is some poetry in that.”

Another person said, “When Trump started his inaugural speech four years ago, it started to rain. Now, the sun is shining brightly into President Biden’s face. How subtle nature can be.”

The Washington Post’s weather team said Biden’s Inauguration was the “coldest inauguration since Obama in 2009, and windiest since Reagan in 1985.”

Make of that what you will.


Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.